Hundreds of Wasatch County locals have shared feedback with UDOT about the barrier plans, including several dozen who showed up at an open house at the Wasatch County Senior Center July 17.
The community event comes about two months after a deadly crash near Heber’s Coyote Ridge neighborhood claimed the life of 34-year-old Eliezer Ramirez Morelos.
That collision was far from unique. Since January 2017, UDOT project manager Eric Rasband said there have been 49 opposite-direction crashes on the three-mile stretch of highway from River Road to 1200 North, including eight fatalities and 22 serious injuries.
“The serious crashes are the ones that impact people’s quality of life: broken legs, [paralysis], sometimes even into long-term care facilities,” he said.
To help prevent those kinds of devastating crashes, UDOT says it wants to install four sections of concrete barrier down the middle of the highway. It will also add traffic lights so people can only turn left at certain intersections.
Drivers elsewhere on the road will need to turn right, travel to the next traffic light, and make a U-turn there.
The first of those traffic lights, at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Coyote Canyon Parkway, is already on the way. UDOT regional spokesperson Wyatt Woolley said Thursday’s public meeting will help the agency determine whether to move forward with the barriers and two other stoplights – one at Commons Boulevard and one at University Avenue.
“We had a very good turnout here tonight [July 17] in Heber, and we had a survey, as well, online, and we had almost 300 people that I’ve seen go to the survey – and overwhelmingly positive in favor of this barrier on north U.S. 40,” Woolley said.
Many locals who stopped by Thursday’s open house said they supported the plans.
Leslie Ann Smith said she was glad UDOT opened a community discussion and hoped she could “be part of the solution.”
“I’ve had some near-death experiences personally, and I actually do know some people that have been involved in some tragedies on the road,” she said. “I think it’ll definitely slow some things down, but if it’s at the cost of safety, I say we have to do it.”
Tuck Lowe said he would have preferred to see a lower speed limit on U.S. 40, but he was overall supportive of UDOT’s plans.
“People do not want to drive slower or more carefully,” he said. “I don’t know what it is in Utah.”
He said he thinks the barriers will save lives.
Elected leaders have offered varying degrees of support for the plan. The Heber City Council voted unanimously for the barriers in November 2024. A month later, the Wasatch County Council voted 4-3 in favor of the proposal, with councilmembers Erik Rowland, Karl McMillan and Steve Farrell against the changes.
The mixed opinions from local leaders were part of the reason UDOT hosted a public meeting, according to Woolley.
“We are doing this public hearing tonight [July 17] to make sure that this is what the public wants and feels that they need,” he said.
Woolley said the Coyote Canyon traffic light should be in place within about a month. Design of the rest of the project will happen this fall.
Rasband, the project manager, said he’s optimistic the changes will help Wasatch County drivers get to their destinations more safely.
“We would love to get to the point where we can say there are zero crashes, fatalities and injuries on the highway system,” Rasband said. “We’re not there yet.”
It’s not too late for residents to share comments with UDOT. A community survey is open through July 31. It asks how safe travelers feel on north U.S. 40, what kinds of close calls they’ve experienced and more.
